People are always victims

Since the New Order regime came to power about 32 years ago and continuing until now when the regime is already history, ordinary people have always fallen victim to the ruler, political adventures, corruption and crime. Let's take the latest political rumor about members of the House of Representatives having allegedly been offered bribes by the banking sector. If it is true, this is really harmful. It is why efforts to take legal action against embezzlers have never been successful.

Then there are the orchestrated cases dealing with state electricity company PLN, which caused huge losses as a result of collusion between the Soeharto regime and its cronies. Again the ordinary people were the victims.

The appropriation of people's houses for the construction of golf courses or other projects benefiting only a few business tycoons shows that during the New Order era the government used its power through certain apparatuses and never sided with the people. Obviously it is the people that have been victimized.

In the same way, as a result of the economic crisis now squeezing the nation and causing the collapse of a great number of businesses, the people have again been victimized because many of them have lost their jobs. As a result, other aspects of life such as education, household harmony and social harmony have been affected, leading, therefore, to an increased rate of crime, looting and social envy.

In fact, people see that the business tycoons and businesspeople whose names have been exposed in the mass media as big debtors still sport smiles, drive expensive cars and live in luxury.

It is not surprising to see, therefore, that crime is looming everywhere because the administration of President Abdurrahman Wahid is yet to enforce justice. None of those who are obviously guilty have been brought to court, leaving other criminals to feel free to do what they wish. This condition has made popular the word "impunity". Our present lives are the lives of homo homini lupus (man is a wolf to his fellow humans). The strong will win. They can talk incessantly and threaten other people strongly. They may be strong because of their money or weapons or power. A number of international surveys have categorized Indonesia as the most corrupt state, but the fact is that none of those involved in graft have been taken to court.

This must not be the life that the Indonesian people dream of living. When will justice and peace reign? May the wisdom of Ramadhan, the peaceful atmosphere of Christmas and the hopes of New Year's make us all remember that there are still other human beings, besides us, who need to live humanely. We all need mutual respect for and recognition of other people's rights. We must not oppress other people. We must not violate their rights nor destroy them.

SUSANTO JOSEPH

Jakarta